Multi-objective optimization for robust optimal green retrofit design of public buildings under multiple SSP scenarios

The study purpose was to analyze the construction of school image at Integrated Islamic Elementary Schools (SDIT) through artificial intelligence-based marketing communication strategies, particularly in the context of digital branding and public trust building. Materials and methods. This study used a descriptive qualitative method with a constructivist paradigm. Data were collected through digital observation of school social media and website content, in-depth interviews, documentation, and literature review related to educational branding, organizational image, and artificial intelligence in marketing communication. Results. The findings show that SDIT Qur’an Mumtaz Robbani has used AI through website optimization supported by SEO, generative AI for promotional copy and visual design, social media engagement analysis, content scheduling, and chatbot-based information services. These practices help the school deliver information more efficiently, build interaction with parents, and represent itself as a modern, religious, responsive, and innovative Islamic educational institution. Conclusions. AI-based marketing communication contributes to the construction of a competitive school image in the digital era. The school image is formed through repeated digital symbols, visual content, religious narratives, and responsive communication that shape public perception and trust toward the institution.

ABSTRACT The National Public and Private Building Standard Drawings, a compilation of government-issued standard drawings for public and private buildings, was promoted by the Republic of China in 1946 after WWII (1939–1945). These documents considerably influenced postwar urban public works restoration and construction. However, scholarly research on the impact of these technical drawings on postwar reconstruction remains scarce. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how these standard drawings were produced and their impacts on the postwar urban and rural construction practices. Exploring social demands, it discusses three architectural perspectives: the classification criteria for building types, standards within the atlas text and, more importantly, the actual application of the atlas in the contexts of policy. Results ultimately contribute to a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of modern urban and rural construction planning activities that enrich the theoretical connotations of modern Chinese architectural atlases in augmenting the history of postwar urban construction and elucidating the operation and control modalities of modern government construction management functional agencies. The findings hold certain referential value for the practical renewal and renovation of historical buildings and the design of contemporary administrative office buildings.

Under the backdrop of China's "dual carbon" goals and the high-quality development of healthcare, general hospitals-characterized by high energy consumption and emissions-require systematic and quantitative evaluation to support sustainable transformation. Based on the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) framework, this study develops a comprehensive evaluation model integrating Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (ELCA), Life Cycle Cost (LCC), and Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA). Using "per bed" as the functional unit, an empirical analysis was conducted on 16 public general hospitals across four representative climate zones in China. Through multi-source data collection, questionnaire surveys, and expert weighting, indicators including carbon emissions during construction and operation, lifecycle cost, and patient satisfaction were standardized and integrated into a comparable LCSA index. The results suggest that: (1) climate zone was associated with differences in CO₂e-based environmental performance, with higher per-bed carbon emissions observed in colder regions; (2) operation and maintenance account for 55-60% of total life-cycle cost, and intelligent energy management combined with renewable energy can simultaneously reduce LCC and ELCA; and (3) social performance is generally moderate, with building comfort, spatial organization, and doctor-patient interaction identified as key determinants of patient satisfaction. Significant differences in sustainability performance were observed among cases, with newly built or green-renovated hospitals equipped with intelligent management systems performing better. The findings highlight that LCSA reflects the coupling relationships among environmental, economic, and social dimensions, where improvements in one dimension may generate synergies or trade-offs with others. The proposed framework provides a quantitative and stakeholder-oriented decision-support basis for hospital administrators, architects, and policymakers to promote low-carbon, cost-effective, and human-centered hospital building transformation.

Distribution of radon concentrations on the ground floor of schools and kindergartens.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental microorganisms for which large, systematic studies of niche diversity are lacking. We performed a semi-longitudinal state-wide sampling campaign (2015-2019) for environmental NTM across Hawai'i. A volunteer network collected 2,334 water biofilms, soil, and dust samples from built (n = 1,946) and natural (n = 388) sites. Of these, 541 contained culturable NTM (23%) and per island hotspots identified. Of 74 NTM species recovered, the most prevalent rapid growing mycobacteria (RGM) were Mycobacterium porcinum, Mycobacterium chelonae, and Mycobacterium abscessus. Mycobacterium intracellulare subsp. chimaera was the most frequently isolated slow growing mycobacteria (SGM). Our longitudinal analyses indicate widespread colonization of diverse niches by species less associated with lung infections such as M. chelonae. In contrast, household water biofilms tended to be reliable niches for M. abscessus and M. avium complex species colonization across the 5-year study. Analysis of 590 deidentified lung samples from Hawai'i and other Pacific Islands revealed M. chimaera as the most frequently isolated species (40%, 238/590). Phylogenetic analysis of environmental and lung M. abscessus suggests most cluster within dominant circulating clone 1 (DCC1). Contrastingly, most Hawai'i and other Pacific Island M. chimaera were distinct from previously studied European isolates, leading to the identification of two novel clusters of phylogenetically related strains we have termed Pacific Island Circulating Cluster 1 and 2 (PCC1, PCC2). PCC1 consists exclusively of Hawai'i/Pacific Island isolates, while PCC2 was enriched by lung samples and was mostly collected from Hawai'i/Pacific Islands. These data reveal the genetic diversity, ecological niches, and potential reservoirs of NTM in varied Hawai'i ecosystems.IMPORTANCENearly one in four environmental Hawai'i samples tested positive for any NTM species, with hotspots often overlapping population centers. Recovery of any NTM species occurred just as often from natural settings as homes and public buildings, highlighting exposures as a normal part of life. Soil was the most common reservoir for NTM colonization, but we distinguish NTM species pertinent to lung disease that were far more likely to be found in water biofilms, such as showerheads and kitchen sinks. No single species dominated the environment; yet, the type of NTM found in water systems closely mirrored those recovered from patients' lung samples. Genetic analyses revealed that Hawai'i harbors distinct, locally circulating strains, including lineages not linked to known hospital outbreaks. Together, these findings improve our understanding of where precarious exposures can occur and inform public health strategies to reduce exposures by highlighting niches that are common hotspots for NTM colonization.

Purpose Chronic absenteeism has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the role of school building conditions as correlates of attendance remains under-specified at the system level. This study links chronic absenteeism rates for New York public school buildings with standardized, component-level data from the 2024 New York State Building Condition Survey. Design/methodology/approach Using a Bonferroni-adjusted multi-method statistical framework aligned with variable types (group means comparisons, correlations, and multiple linear regression with Socioeconomic Status (SES) control), we identify specific systems, materials, and practices associated with student absence. Findings Socioeconomic context accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in chronic absenteeism (R2 = 0.40), and over half of the building features significant in bivariate analysis lost significance after controlling for nine neighborhood-level SES variables. Among building features, indoor air quality factors showed the strongest independent associations: indoor pesticide use was associated with an approximately 8.1 percentage-point increase in absenteeism (b = 8.09, p < 0.001), mold-susceptible ceiling materials with a 6.6 percentage-point increase (b = 6.57, p < 0.001), and buildings tested for radon below 4 pCi/L with a 4.1 percentage-point decrease (b = −4.14, p = 0.04). Recent renovations were also associated with a 5.5 percentage-point reduction in absenteeism (b = −5.54, p < 0.001). In contrast, aggregate facility ratings and perceived conditions (e.g. cleanliness, lighting) showed no independent association. Research limitations/implications The study is cross-sectional and observational, identifying associations rather than causal effects, and relies on inspector-assessed building conditions. Reduced sample sizes in some categories and small subgroups for certain features limit statistical power and reliability. Residual confounders not captured by the nine SES controls (e.g. district policies, transportation access) may remain. The restriction to New York State public school buildings limits cross-jurisdictional generalizability. Practical implications Facility managers and district leaders can use the findings to prioritize component-level actions that are more directly linked to attendance-relevant exposures, including reviewing indoor pesticide practices, scheduling replacement of mold-susceptible ceiling materials during renovation cycles, maintaining systematic radon testing, and using SES-adjusted evidence when ranking capital projects. Originality/value This study provides one of the first component-level, system-specific assessments linking school building conditions to chronic absenteeism across a large sample of New York State public school buildings using standardized engineer/architect survey data. It moves beyond composite “facility quality” scores to identify specific building features, including maintenance status, indoor pesticide use, moisture/mold-prone materials, radon practices, and water piping types that are independently associated with absenteeism and align with plausible health pathways. The findings offer a prioritization view for infrastructure management and operation, targeting building components strongly associated with attendance disparities.

Energy-related carbon emissions in the building sector: Drivers, forecasting, and multi-scenario analysis

In Italy, the worsening of the energy crisis and the rise in fuel and electricity prices since winter 2022 have made even more urgent the need to improve the energy performance of the local building stock. Faced with this situation, several public authorities recommended general energy-saving operation measures for buildings HVAC systems to be implemented in the public building stock, aiming at reducing energy consumption and producing economic savings in the short term. Specifically, in the Alpine city of Bolzano, Italy, a set of basic operation measures for buildings heating systems control and natural ventilation rate reduction were recommended. However, these measures were often implemented regardless of the buildings specific features with the risk of deeply worsening the indoor environmental quality ( IEQ ). Therefore, in this context, this work aims at assessing the impacts on heating energy consumption, IEQ and learning performance in a set of four public school buildings of dated and recent construction in the municipality of Bolzano in the heating season 2022–2023, under the implementation of the operation control measures provided by local authorities. Furthermore, it is intended to verify whether in the fall-winter season 2023–2024, after the lifting of the energy-saving recommendations, any best practice for an efficient operation of buildings energy systems has been maintained. Thus, heating consumption, thermal comfort and indoor air quality ( IAQ ) in the heating season 2023–2024 have been analysed and compared with the ones of 2022–2023. Results show how basic operation strategies, if not well designed, may cause a deep worsening of the indoor environmental conditions and occupants’ task performance. Furthermore, this work provides a good overview of the way buildings with different features and construction period respond to basic operation control measures. • Low-cost operation control measures can produce significant heating energy savings. • Inadequate operation control measures may worsen the indoor environmental quality. • In absence of mandatory energy-saving requirements, thermal comfort is prioritised. • Poorly insulated buildings show often inadequate thermal environments. • Poor indoor air quality negatively impacts students’ learning performance.

As Egypt relocates its government headquarters to the New Administrative Capital, nearly 50 existing public administrative buildings in Cairo await renovation and adaptive reuse. This offers a substantial opportunity for improving the performance of existing buildings, as retrofit measures could be integrated into the upcoming interventions. However, the existing literature was found to be insufficient at informing decision-makers with validated estimates of the baseline operational performance, casting major uncertainties about the retrofit outcomes that could be yielded. Following a stock analysis conducted in a previous study, where lower-than-expected metered energy use was identified, further building-level investigations of the operational performance were advised to better understand this observed phenomenon. This study uses observations from building audits and modelling to establish an understanding of the operational performance in two case studies, following a calibration approach that was developed to minimise model uncertainties about energy end-uses in cooling-dominated data-poor environments. The findings indicate that low metered energy could be attributed to under-serviced indoor environments, with significant post-retrofit energy rebounds expected, reaching up to 295 % and 45 %, due to comfort-taking and following potential changes in building activity aligned with adaptive reuse plans. With energy rebounds expected to diminish the retrofit savings that could be achieved, the study discusses the implications for policy and decision-making in contexts where retrofit could be financially infeasible, yet required for health and wellbeing benefits, calling for alternative business models that can be more effective at incentivising retrofit uptake in similar contexts. • Shows that low energy use in Cairo’s public buildings reflects under-serviced indoor environments, not genuine efficiency. • Presents an audit-informed, uncertainty-aware calibration framework for cooling-dominated, data-poor buildings. • Identifies major baseline energy rebounds (up to 295 % and 45 %) when IEQ improves and buildings are reused as offices. • Introduces an adjusted-baseline approach to separate true retrofit savings from IEQ and activity-driven changes. • Calls for retrofit assessment beyond energy payback, integrating health, wellbeing, and infrastructure co-benefits.

Impacts of climate change on water resources and farming community adaptation strategies in southwestern Ethiopia

GA-XGBoost based research on energy-saving optimization design of dwellings in windy and sandy regions of Xinjiang, China

Purpose This study aims to use variables of the contingency theory to assess the influence of maintenance contingency factors on occupant behaviour in the use of energy in public university buildings in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach Aligned with quantitative research, the study used survey to gather data from 456 senior members across 9 public universities in Ghana. Data gathered was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. Findings The findings revealed that situational factors of buildings and maintenance task structure have a significant influence on occupant energy use behaviour. Maintenance leadership style and leader–member relations were found to be statistically insignificant to occupant behaviour in the use of energy. However, they exhibit a hidden potential of indirect effect that is worth exploring. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study will encourage top university management to prioritise maintenance needs of existing buildings among other contingency factors to enhance building operations and efficient use of energy in university buildings. Originality/value Grounded in the contingency theory, this study presents rare findings on the explanatory power of maintenance contingency factors in explaining the variance in occupant energy use behaviour in public university buildings.

Large public buildings are characterized by high occupancy and complex functions, which can easily lead to issues such as congestion in evacuation routes and disorderly crowd behavior in the event of a fire. Conducting analyses and simulation assessments of evacuation mechanisms in fire scenarios is of great significance for improving building fire safety standards and emergency management capabilities. At present, there are significant gaps in the existing research on evacuation simulation for public buildings: Most studies rely on fixed parameter assumptions and fail to effectively quantify the influence of subjective factors such as psychological factors, safety awareness, and social roles on evacuation behavior. Moreover, the combination of BIM technology and evacuation simulation mostly focuses on the presentation of spatial geometric information, lacking a deep integration with quantitative methods for quantifying the subjective behavior of personnel, resulting in insufficient authenticity and predictive reliability of evacuation simulations, and making it difficult to precisely support fire protection design and emergency decision-making. In response to this research gap, this study has established an integrated framework that quantifies subjective human-related factors, maps them to key behavioral parameters through fuzzy inference, and couples them with BIM-based fire and evacuation simulations to provide a verifiable linkage between fire scene constraints, human behavior, and evacuation outcomes. This paper employs fuzzy logic theory together with Pyrosim and Pathfinder to investigate the effects of human-related subjective factors and fire scene conditions on fire evacuation safety. A questionnaire survey was conducted to examine how psychological factors, safety awareness, and social roles of pedestrians influence evacuation behavior. Through the reliability and validity test of the valid questionnaire data and the spearman correlation analysis, it is found that there is a significant positive correlation between safety awareness, psychological factors, social roles and the evacuation behavior. Based on fuzzy rules, the domains and membership functions of the linguistic variables representing these factors are defined, enabling the quantification of the influencing factors and the calculation of the initial evacuation speed. Finally, a BIM model was established and applied to the evacuation simulation of a large shopping mall project in Southwest China to verify the feasibility of the fuzzy algorithm and the safety of the evacuation design. This research innovatively combines fuzzy algorithms with BIM technology, making up for the deficiencies of existing studies in the quantification of subjective factors of personnel and the deep integration of BIM technology. It provides a more scientific calculation plan and data for the study of public building evacuation, and offers reference basis for fire protection design, personnel allocation, emergency plan formulation, and rescue operations.

Energy efficiency retrofits are widely promoted for public buildings, yet evidence from large-scale real-world projects remains limited compared with simulation-based assessments. This study leverages measured pre- and post-retrofit operational data from 530 public building retrofit projects across 11 provinces/municipalities in China to quantify realized energy-saving performance and screening-level cost-effectiveness across building types and climate zones. Wilcoxon and Kruskal–Wallis tests were employed to ensure statistical rigor. Retrofit measures were grouped into seven categories (e.g., HVAC, lighting, envelope, monitoring/management), and a median-based four-quadrant framework was employed to characterize investment–savings profiles by climate zone and building function. Across the full sample, mean energy use intensity decreased by 19.1%, with 99.2% of projects achieving positive savings. Savings varied markedly by building type: commercial and hotels achieved the highest savings intensities (26.5–28.0 kWh/(m2·a)), while education and cultural buildings generally showed lower gains, with some projects having &lt; 10 kWh/(m2·a). Technology performance exhibited distinct climate and building suitability. Envelope retrofits were most effective in the Cold and Hot Summer–Cold Winter zones (13.30–22.06 kWh/(m2·a)) but yielded limited benefits in the Hot Summer–Warm Winter zone (~1.73 kWh/(m2·a)). HVAC and lighting upgrades delivered comparatively stable savings across climates and building types and dominated retrofit portfolios. Based on these findings, we propose a tiered strategy: prioritizing HVAC and envelope upgrades for high-load sectors while focusing on low-cost optimizations for educational facilities to mitigate investment risks. The findings provide large-scale empirical evidence to support climate- and building-specific retrofit prioritization and investment decision-making under real-world operating conditions.

Improving energy efficiency is a strategic priority within the framework of the European Green Deal and the Energy Efficiency Directive. In the public building stock, educational institutions account for a significant share of energy consumption. Improving the energy efficiency of school buildings simultaneously contributes to achieving climate goals, reduces operating costs for municipalities, and promotes the development of sustainable thinking in society by involving students as future decision-makers. Therefore, assessing the actual impact of different energy saving approaches is essential for evidence-based investment planning and effective implementation of climate policy. The study analyzed the energy savings of school buildings in three Latvian municipalities using a structured dataset on building characteristics, energy consumption and implemented energy saving measures during renovation, construction, and operation. The analysis revealed significant differences in the energy efficiency of buildings – the specific heat energy consumption of schools ranged from 42 to 181 kWh/m², indicating a significant untapped energy saving potential. The results show that thermal energy savings are mainly provided by capital-intensive technical measures, but management and user behavior measures can also have a significant effect, reaching savings of up to 23 %. The most stable results in terms of electricity consumption were achieved in buildings where technical solutions were combined with behavioral change and energy management approaches, with combined strategies providing the most balanced performance. The study highlights that targeted data analysis allows municipalities to identify priority buildings, select the most cost-effective measures, and accelerate emission reductions in the public sector. For municipalities with limited budgets, low-cost management and action measures can serve as an immediate first step, while preparing the ground for long-term renovation investments and facilitating the move towards climate neutrality.

Purpose : The aim of the work is to study the architecture of public buildings and complexes in Novosibirsk, influenced by political, economic, and cultural conditions of the mid- 1950s and late 1980s. Methodology/approach : The historical and systematic approach, comparative and field analysis, using scientific, literary sources and archival data, professional periodicals. For the better understanding of sociocultural conditions, the article analyzes the development of foreign architecture, as well as urban planning and natural and landscape conditions. This period plays a significant role in the city development. Despite the extensive construction and widespread use of standardized solutions, there are still unique public buildings and complexes that contribute to the rich tapestry of Novosibirsk architecture. Research findings : The identification of the architecture of this period with global trends, its uniqueness and originality, which allow for a broader understanding of the urban development and construction of new facilities, taking into account the urban planning culture.

ABSTRACT The quality of indoor environment significantly impacts human health and satisfaction. However, the relationship between indoor environmental parameters and occupant satisfaction remains insufficiently explored. This study utilized the simultaneous point-to-point field test method to collect 1,758 sets of indoor environmental parameters from school, office, and expo buildings in Zhejiang, China. Regression analysis was employed to establish correlation models between air temperature, relative humidity, illuminance, CO2 concentration, PM2.5 concentration, noise pressure levels, and satisfaction. The findings reveal that dissatisfaction fluctuates with increasing air temperature, relative humidity in summer, and relative humidity during transitional seasons. Green buildings generally exhibited better performance and higher satisfaction in most environmental aspects. The optimal indoor temperatures for summer, transitional seasons, and winter are 25.3°C, 22.2°C, and 22.4°C, respectively. To maintain air quality dissatisfaction below 20%, CO2 concentrations should be limited to under 550 ppm, while PM2.5 concentrations should not exceed 50 μg/m3. Regional indoor environment thresholds for Zhejiang, China, were proposed, utilizing dissatisfaction rate limits as a practical benchmarking basis. Lighting satisfaction improved consistently with higher desktop illuminance for both paper and computer tasks. This research establishes a foundational framework for developing refined, localized indoor environment guidelines.

Abstract In the early days of the full-scale russian invasion, Mykolaiv was a city on the outskirts of which Ukrainian troops stopped the invaders. Until the liberation of Kherson, the city remained on the front line, and Russia repeatedly attacked it from the air with missiles and drones, resulting in the destruction of a large number of residential, administrative, public, and industrial buildings in the city. Among the buildings destroyed by shelling are also architectural and historical monuments, of which there are 139 architectural monuments and 109 historical monuments. Almost half of these objects were damaged during the shelling, and prominent buildings such as the Mykola Arkas Gymnasium building and the so-called Admiralty building, the administrative building of the Mykolaiv Shipyard, were completely or partially destroyed. In order to develop design and restoration documentation for the destroyed monuments, it is necessary to first study the technical condition of the building, which should be based on a very detailed digital model of the object. The aim of the study is to conduct field surveys of destroyed objects and to test 3D scanning and photogrammetry methods as a basis for creating an inventory database that can be used in further work with the monument – from recording the crime to developing conservation and restoration documentation. An important part of the work was the detailed recording of even the building debris, not just the preserved structures and substances of the building.

Analysis of the economic viability of photovoltaic self consumption system for a public building in Türkiye